1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to adjustable shelving systems in general and particularly to systems which are incorporated within home appliances, the individual shelves being infinitely vertically repositionable.
2. Prior Art
Adjustable shelving arrangements have long been used in home appliances such as refrigerators, freezers, dishwashers and the like. Typically, these structures employ a pair of vertically upright members, each having at least one row of slots to vertically aligned therealong to accommodate shelf supporting brackets. Such arrangements are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,701,325; 3,355,134 and 3,111,916. The vertical position of a shelf is adjusted by disconnecting the bracket from a given slot and reinserting it into a higher or lower slot within the member. The vertical upright members are secured to the inside liner of the appliance and supplemental tabs or bosses are provided to support the forwardmost edge of the shelf. The shelves and supporting brackets frequently are interconnected by means of clamps and assorted hardware necessitating the use of tools to assemble and/or adjust the shelving within an appliance.
A drawback of most prior art appliance shelving arrangements is that the shelves are vertically adjustable in discrete increments only thereby limiting their effectiveness in optimizing the use of freezer and/or refrigerator space. A related problem is that the shelves are difficult or inconvenient to remove for cleaning and/or readjustment. Additionally the large amount of hardware and bracketry involved makes the prior art units relatively expensive as well as tending to consume large amounts of space within the appliance which otherwise could be applied for storage. Finally, such shelving arrangements have a limited load capacity and cause extensive damage to the appliance liner when they fail.